kodiakoutdoors
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- Mar 26, 2003
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Well I haven't posted in quite a while, but I wanted to post this. When I was doing my due diligence before heading out to the Hualapai Indian Reservation, information was slim to say the least. Hopefully this will help someone out.
I wanted to take my son Javelina hunting, however we couldn't squeeze a hunt in during the AZ archery seasons. After some research, which yielded me nothing, we decided to just go and give it a shot. Licenses/tags on the reservation are $160 for Javelina and there is no AZ licence/tag required. The tags are good for 30 day periods from date of purchase and the season is all year long. It's great if you can't make it out to AZ during their seasons like us. It's also nice not being limited to weapons. We took archery gear, but you can take any weapons you like. I had a handgun and rifle also, but we wanted to get it done with archery gear.
We got to the Hualapai Game and Fish Office on a Thursday and purchased our tags. They explain everything and provide a map (not much help) of the reservation. Camping is allowed pretty much anywhere you can find a spot. There were no designated camping areas. We set up camp and headed out around 3pm to scout around.
Around 5pm we spot a herd of about 12 Javelina feeding across an open grass/sagebrush area and headed into some thicker junipers and pinion trees. It's getting dark so we take off at a quick pace and try to head them off in the trees. We manage to get there before them. With the wind perfect, we just waited as we could see them approaching. They get to about 30 yards and we start making our move from tree to tree for a shot. I range one at 29 yards and tell my son to shoot him for 30. Well no sooner did I tell my son when the Javelina started walking towards us. I'm guessing it got to about 12 yards from us and son let his arrow fly. Right over it. I knew at that moment exactly what had happened. I called the group back but it was too dark for another shot and they disappeared into the darkness. With my son in tears, and me trying my best to console him, we hiked back to the truck.
Quick history on son's hunting experience. He has killed a couple of hogs in CA with his rifle. He's 13 years old and has only been on a handful of hunting trips with me. This was his first bow hunt and he'd been practicing plenty and was good out to 40 yards. He was just too excited and wasn't even aware of the change in distance.
Anyway, back to camp, eat, campfire, a little more consoling, and then to bed. We hunted hard Friday putting our boots to the ground and glassing till my eyes hurt. Friday was bust.
Saturday, we drove around more, hiked some more and then we find some more. Only 6 in this herd. The stalk was easy and before we knew it they were 20 yards from us. My son released that arrow missed again. I called them back and he shot again. Again, another miss. I start blowing on the call again and sure enough one starts coming right at us. My son lets another arrow fly and yet again another miss. After that they didn't come to the call were gone. Again, my son is in tears. I'm feeling pretty horrible now. We look around till it gets dark and then head back to camp. I again console him and explain that we all miss and archery is a different animal from rifle hunting. He now knows the meaning of "buck fever".
We hunted a few hours Sunday morning with no luck. We had a 6 hour drive home and he had homework to do for school on Monday. He learned a lot, we got to actually talk about life and things that really matter, and the ups and downs of hunting and life in general. I wouldn't have changed a thing. I never picked up my bow since I didn't plan on shooting anything until he did. All in all it was one of the best trips of my life. One that brought me and my son closer together.
The Hualapai Reservation is a great place. You can find their info online, there is plenty of water, and if you look hard you will find Javelina. So if you've ever wondered about it, that's my story. I would recommend giving it a shot. The wardens and biologist on the reservation will tell you everything they know and are eager to help. I will be going back before the 30 days are up.
I wanted to take my son Javelina hunting, however we couldn't squeeze a hunt in during the AZ archery seasons. After some research, which yielded me nothing, we decided to just go and give it a shot. Licenses/tags on the reservation are $160 for Javelina and there is no AZ licence/tag required. The tags are good for 30 day periods from date of purchase and the season is all year long. It's great if you can't make it out to AZ during their seasons like us. It's also nice not being limited to weapons. We took archery gear, but you can take any weapons you like. I had a handgun and rifle also, but we wanted to get it done with archery gear.
We got to the Hualapai Game and Fish Office on a Thursday and purchased our tags. They explain everything and provide a map (not much help) of the reservation. Camping is allowed pretty much anywhere you can find a spot. There were no designated camping areas. We set up camp and headed out around 3pm to scout around.
Around 5pm we spot a herd of about 12 Javelina feeding across an open grass/sagebrush area and headed into some thicker junipers and pinion trees. It's getting dark so we take off at a quick pace and try to head them off in the trees. We manage to get there before them. With the wind perfect, we just waited as we could see them approaching. They get to about 30 yards and we start making our move from tree to tree for a shot. I range one at 29 yards and tell my son to shoot him for 30. Well no sooner did I tell my son when the Javelina started walking towards us. I'm guessing it got to about 12 yards from us and son let his arrow fly. Right over it. I knew at that moment exactly what had happened. I called the group back but it was too dark for another shot and they disappeared into the darkness. With my son in tears, and me trying my best to console him, we hiked back to the truck.
Quick history on son's hunting experience. He has killed a couple of hogs in CA with his rifle. He's 13 years old and has only been on a handful of hunting trips with me. This was his first bow hunt and he'd been practicing plenty and was good out to 40 yards. He was just too excited and wasn't even aware of the change in distance.
Anyway, back to camp, eat, campfire, a little more consoling, and then to bed. We hunted hard Friday putting our boots to the ground and glassing till my eyes hurt. Friday was bust.
Saturday, we drove around more, hiked some more and then we find some more. Only 6 in this herd. The stalk was easy and before we knew it they were 20 yards from us. My son released that arrow missed again. I called them back and he shot again. Again, another miss. I start blowing on the call again and sure enough one starts coming right at us. My son lets another arrow fly and yet again another miss. After that they didn't come to the call were gone. Again, my son is in tears. I'm feeling pretty horrible now. We look around till it gets dark and then head back to camp. I again console him and explain that we all miss and archery is a different animal from rifle hunting. He now knows the meaning of "buck fever".
We hunted a few hours Sunday morning with no luck. We had a 6 hour drive home and he had homework to do for school on Monday. He learned a lot, we got to actually talk about life and things that really matter, and the ups and downs of hunting and life in general. I wouldn't have changed a thing. I never picked up my bow since I didn't plan on shooting anything until he did. All in all it was one of the best trips of my life. One that brought me and my son closer together.
The Hualapai Reservation is a great place. You can find their info online, there is plenty of water, and if you look hard you will find Javelina. So if you've ever wondered about it, that's my story. I would recommend giving it a shot. The wardens and biologist on the reservation will tell you everything they know and are eager to help. I will be going back before the 30 days are up.
would love to meet some of the Jesse's gang
